The Psychic Necklace Trilogy: Chrissy of Candmal
by CelestialRabbit
Summary: New title! Book 1. Chrissy comes to Mobius hunting her archenemy, the evil rat Zerka. After Knuckles saves her life and Sonic agrees to help, they continue to chase her brother's killer. Revenge is what Chrissy is after, but will she find somthing more?
1. Chapter 1: Leaving Home

Chapter one: Leaving home

A black dog lay in her bed. She was awake, her grey eyes staring at the ceiling. A single thought ran through her mind: _Today. I leave today._ She got out of her bed and walked to the window of her room, her grey, furless tail writhing like a snake behind her. She watched the sun rise over the mountains, realizing this might be the last time she sees this wonderful sight. She let her mind wander to that fateful day; the day that ultimately led up to today...

A knock on the door woke her from her daydream. "Yes?" She called. "Lady Chrissy, I am sorry to bother you, but your father asked my to check on you. Is everything alright?"

Chrissy smiled warmly. "Yes Collette, everything is fine. I'll be down in a few minutes." Collette nodded and left, closing the door behind her.

Chrissy gathered up a few belongings. She would be traveling light, so as to cover as much ground, in as little time as possible. She would take a month's rations, a diary, survival gear, and, most important of all, a picture of her family, all six of them, before Jeremy had been taken from her. She stared sadly at the photograph, knowing that the vision seen in the frame was now unattainable in reality. Chrissy closed her eyes tightly, attempting in vain to hold back the tears that were now flowing down her cheeks.

"I made a promise to you, Jeremy." Said the black dog aloud, her voice thick with emotion. "It's promise I intend to keep." With that, she place the photo on top of her belongings, and zipped up the suitcase.

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Moments later, Chrissy was saying her final goodbyes in town square. She walked from person to person bidding fond farewells and promising them she would see them all again soon. There wasn't a large turnout at the farewell ceremony, and most of those who attended were castle servants, Chrissy's military partners, and the rest of the royal family.

At last, Chrissy approached her two other living siblings. Venus, Chrissy's older sister and now heir to the throne, flicked her ears in what was apparent annoyance. She glared at Chrissy with deep brown eyes, and proceeded to stick her nose into the air.

Chrissy looked at her sister sadly. "Venus…" she said pleadingly, "Please don't be like this…"

Venus lowered her face to the ground. "Just go!" she said angrily, her voice cracked with emotion.

Chrissy put her arms around Venus, expecting the light brown dog to shove her away. But the princess merely put her arms around her sister, retuning the tight embrace.

After a moment, Chrissy pulled away. "This is something I have to do." She explained patiently.

Venus looked down ashamedly. "I know…" she said softly. "Just… Promise me you'll be careful, OK?" she pleaded.

Chrissy nodded, and placed a single finger on the white star that graced her forehead. Venus placed a finger in the same spot on her own forehead, and the pair smiled.

Chrissy then walked over to the second dog, her younger brother, Fearith. The 14 year old was the youngest of them, with an orange, yellow, and red pelt that had the appearance of dancing flames. He stared unblinkingly at the ground, as if he couldn't bare to look at his older sister. The black dog smiled.

"Fearith…" she said, placing a hand on his right shoulder. "I know you can be brave. You have to. For your sister and for your people." She told him pressingly. She place a gloved finger under his chin and tilted his head upward so that his green eyes, shimmering with tears, locked with her own. His bottom lip quivered, and he bit it to cause it to be still.

"I-I'll try…" the little prince managed to stammer out. He swallowed hard and said again, with more confidence, "I'll try."

Chrissy smiled. "That's my boy." She said proudly. "Stiff upper lip, now."

Fearith swallowed again, and straightened his back. He looked Chrissy straight in her eyes, and nodded solemnly.

Chrissy turned from her siblings and walked toward her plane. She turned back to everyone who had gathered; thrust her fist in the air, and said loud enough for all that had gathered to hear, "For the glory of Candmal!" She waited for a moment as the group gave a resounding answer to her cry: "For the Freedom of her people!"

Chrissy then turned her back on the crowed, jumped in the cockpit of her ship, gave them all one final nod, and took off without looking back. She knew in her heart that this was the beginning of an adventure that would end in a way no one could ever imagine...


	2. Chapter 2: Saving a life

Part Two: Saving a life 

Day seven of her expedition and Chrissy could hardly believe her eyes. On the radar was what she'd been searching for: Zerka the Rat. But she had found him in just a week! Chrissy shook her head. No matter how much this looked like a trap, she had to risk it. This could be the only shot at this she'd get for a while. She prepared to land on the planet where the blip on the radar was. 

As she pulled in close to the planet and entered its atmosphere, she saw vast woods, and one clearing in particular caught her eye. In the middle was a strange building of some sort. A large green gem was on the top. It was almost as if the structure was a shrine to that gem. Then Chrissy turned her attention to two figures apparently arguing. One figure had red fur and was standing on the steps of the shrine. The other was very familiar... 

Chrissy smirked. She pulled the ship in low and fired her guns at Zerka but he was too fast and got out of the way. Then, as she circled around to fire again, she was hit by a laser. The wing of her ship was blown apart and she was going into a nosedive. Knowing there was nothing she could do, she grabbed her belongings and ejected. 

Landing on the ground, she looked at her radar watch, and headed straight for Zerka. After a few minutes of pursuit, she caught him standing in a clearing. She dropped her bundle and summoned a silver blob to her hand. Her uyita. It morphed to a staff. Zerka smirked. "Prepare to die!" He said, and the battle commenced. 

Knuckles had chased the mysterious stranger to a clearing. There were a lot of questions he wanted answered. Why did he want the master emerald? What was the ship that fired at him? And who was this strange girl who was fighting him. He watched as the battle unfolded before him, trying to make sense of it all... 

Chrissy was knocked down again, but this time Zerka pinned her. "You were almost a worthy adversary. Now you have met your end!" Suddenly, the red figure from the shrine charged and knocked Zerka over. Chrissy stood up quickly. "Shouldn't you pick on someone your own size?" Said the echidna. Zerka growled. "Bye for now!" He said slyly. Then he disappeared. 

"Are you alright?" Knuckles asked this strange girl. A black dog, with grey eyes, a white star on her forehead, and a grey furless tail. Strange, but somehow hauntingly beautiful. Before she had a chance to respond, however, she fell forward onto her front. Knuckles rushed to her. She was out cold he scooped her up and rushed in the direction of Cream's house. There he could get her some help, and then he had a few things to ask her... 

To Be Continued... 

Knuckles and Cream belong to Sega and Sonic Team. No copyright infringement intended.


	3. Chapter 3: Meeting the Group

Part Three: Introductions

**Chrissy: Knuckles, wake up. (pokes Knuckles)**

**Knuckles: (snort) Huh…? Wah…?**

**Chrissy: (puts hands on hips) I told you we were talking to the audience today! It makes us more Like-able!**

**Knuckles: (whines) Do we HAVE to…?**

**Chrissy: Yes! We DO! Unless you want me to throw you in the rabid fangirl pit again!**

**Knuckles: (hides under bed) ANYTHING but that!**

**Chrissy: (grins) There there, love, I won't let those scary fangirls get you…**

**Sonic: (sweatdrop) Yeah, the only things Knux is scared of is Ghosts and Fangirls…**

**Knux: (narrows eyes) And you're scared of Amy's Hammer… What's your point?**

**Chrissy: I gotta keep these two from killing each other… R&R please!**

Part Three: Introductions

_Chrissy looked over at her brother as they silently crept up on Zerka. Jeremy held up a hand and extended his fingers, counting silently. One. Two. Three._

_The siblings pounced onto their kidnapper, intent upon getting away and home again. Chrissy raked her claws across Zerka's face and Jeremy attempted a blow to the head. Throwing Chrissy to the ground, Zerka whirled on Jeremy and charged knocking him to the ground. Enraged, Chrissy sprinted toward her antagonist and threw him back. Zerka slammed into the control panel, and accidentally moved the switch to open the door at the side of the ship. It flew open and the resulting vacuum began to suck them toward the door. Chrissy caught hold of the pilot's chair, and Zerka gripped the panel. Jeremy was almost lost, but he grabbed the side of the doorway._

"_Jeremy!" Chrissy yelled. "Hang on! I'm coming!"_

"_No! Stay there!" Jeremy yelled back. "I'll be fine! Just don't let go!" Almost all the sound was being sucked out, but Chrissy heard him._

_And she wasn't about to listen._

_Chrissy let go of the chair, and grabbed a pipe on the wall next to the door. Wrapping her tail firmly around it, she reached out into the abyss, toward Jeremy._

"_Grab my hand! Quick!" she yelled desperately._

_Jeremy reached for her hand but felt his other one slipping. Suddenly, the side of the door slipped from his grasp. He flailed his arms to try and catch it again, but was sucked out and sent hurtling through space._

_Time seemed to slow down for Chrissy as she watched her brother being dragged away by the vacuum of space, her eyes widened in terror as she called out his name._

"_Jeremy!"_

"JEREMY!"

Chrissy sat straight up in bed. Sweating profusely, she put a hand to her head. The dream. It continued to haunt her relentlessly. What was worse was the fact that she knew it had actually occurred.

That was her reason for hunting Zerka.

Chrissy looked around. She was in an unfamiliar place, but it didn't faze her. What did were the unfamiliar scents. She didn't know a thing about these people.

Chrissy decided it was best to keep it that way.

Grabbing her uyita, which was on the bedside table, she dashed to the door and swung it open. She almost rushed out the door before she saw an obstacle in her path.

Looking the echidna in the eyes, Chrissy backed into a menacing fighter's stance. Down on all fours, she snarled like a savage beast.

"Who are you?!" she demanded. "Why have you brought me here?!"

Raising an eyebrow, Knuckles turned and called over his shoulder, "She's awake!"

Turning back to Chrissy, Knuckles looked at her funny. "Is this always how you react to hospitality?"

Chrissy gave him a dry half-smile. "It depends on who the hospitality is coming from. Now who are you?"

Knuckles growled. "Well, if you're gonna be pushy I might not tell you."

Chrissy looked at him, ready to pounce and rip out his throat, but suddenly she stopped growling. She smelled the air and recognized the scent.

"You're the echidna from earlier… The one who…" she said, trailing off.

Chrissy stood and dipped her head apologetically. "I'm truly sorry. You saved my life. I should be grateful."

Knuckles raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Damn straight." He laughed before continuing. "As for your earlier question, my name is Knuckles."

Chrissy smiled, grateful to know the name of her savior. "It may not seem it, but I am very pleased to meet you. My name is…"

Before she could finish her sentence, Sonic rushed forward and appeared in a blue flash beside Knuckles. Screaming, Chrissy jumped back and landed on all fours.

Sonic laughed. "Whoops! Didn't mean to scare ya there, pal! My bad!"

Chrissy narrowed her eyes and stood tall again. "You didn't scare me! You just… Caught me off-guard!"

Sonic laughed. "OK, yeah. Let's call it that." He said, teasingly. "How about we come downstairs so we can introduce you to the rest of the group?"

Chrissy nodded. The three of them headed downstairs where a pink hedgehog, two rabbits, and an orange fox sat in the living room.

The pink hedgehog jumped up and ran over to Chrissy. "Hi! I'm Amy Rose!" she said, shaking Chrissy's hand excitedly.

Sonic smiled. "Well, you already met Knuckles. I'm Sonic, that's Tails," he said, indicating the fox, who smiled and waved, "and then we have Cream and her mother, Vanilla. They're the ones who own the house."

Chrissy smiled and nodded. "I thank you all for your kindness and hospitality. It is a pleasure to meat you all."

Chrissy shot a glance at Knuckles that said not to say a word about what happened upstairs. She had to keep what was left of her wounded pride, after all.

Knuckles smirked. "You were telling us what your name was?"

Chrissy sighed. "I am Chrissy. I hail from the planet of Candmal not far from here. The man Knuckles saved me from is called Zerka. He's evil and must be destroyed at any cost."

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "So, what are you? Some sort of bounty hunter?"

Chrissy paused for a moment. What would she tell them? Certainly that she wasn't a Princess from a foreign planet. Yeah, that sounded great. Not.

"I'm a… a … I just don't want to see any more innocent people get hurt." She said quickly. Lowering her eyes.

Amy, sensing that Chrissy was becoming uncomfortable, changed the subject. "So, who is Zerka?"

Chrissy shook her head. "Not a lot is known about him. All I know is that he is evil and he was hiding on my planet at some point. He's nomadic, jumping from place to place a lot. I have no idea why he came here…"

Knuckles looked up. "I think I know." He began. "He wanted the Master Emerald."

Chrissy looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "The Master what?"

Knuckles rolled his eyes. "You know… big green shiny thing, a lot of power, maybe you've heard of it?"

Chrissy shook her head. "No, I haven't…"

Knuckles sweatdropped.

"Anyway…" said Sonic. "If you're after this Zerka guy, and he's as evil as you say, we'll help you!" He grinned. "From the looks of things, you're gonna need all the help you can get!"

Chrissy shook her head. "I'm grateful, but I must decline…" she said simply. "This is something I need to do on my own…"

"Well… You sorta can't…" Tails pointed out. "Your ship was kinda totaled, wasn't it?"

Chrissy grumbled something that sounded like a curse under her breath. "Alright… I suppose I could use some help…" she said reluctantly.

Sonic smiled. "That's more like it!" he said excitedly. "Tails, when can we have the ship ready?"

Tails thought for a moment. "Tomorrow afternoon at the latest." he said finally.

"Then that's when we'll leave." Sonic said nodding.

The whole group agreed in a chorus of voices, and seemed to wander off to do things that needed to be done in preparation of tomorrow's events. Chrissy felt slightly out of place. Everyone had a job to do, and she felt she was in the way.

The small rabbit that had been introduced as Cream walked up to her. "Miss Chrissy? My mom says you can stay here tonight if you need to..." the little rabbit said shyly and politely.

Chrissy smiled. "I thank you for the offer, but I can find somewhere. I prefer to sleep outside."

The rabbit nodded and ran off, and Chrissy smiled. _She reminds me of Collette... _She thought to herself, before turning to walk out the door.

Knuckles watched as Chrissy walked out the door. Sonic was watching too. "She's a lot like you, Knuckles." he said grinning. "That's just what we need. Another you." he added teasingly.

Knuckles scowled, but he knew Sonic was right. They were a lot alike. He got up. "The Master Emerald isn't gonna guard itself..." he mused as he walked out the door.

to be continued

**Knux: (snickers) You need our help!**

**Chrissy: (glares and points to fangirl pit)**

**Knux: (sweatdrops) Alright, be cool…**

**Sonic: Well, I think we're about done here…**

**Chrissy: I think you're right Sonic. Knux, would you do the honors?**

**Knux: Righto! R&R!**


	4. Chapter 4: The Midnight Conversation

**Chrissy: (Stares at finger with bandage on it)**

**Sonic: (Walks in) Uh… Chrissy? What are you doing?**

**Knuckles: (Sitting beside Chrissy) She sliced her finger.**

**Amy: (Sitting on the other side of Chrissy) She's thinking about taking the bandage off.**

**Sonic: Well, what about the Fanfic?**

**Chrissy: (Waves absentmindedly) Yeah in a minute… (Slowly peels off the bandage to reveal a nasty cut)**

**Chrissy, Knux and Amy: (In unison) EEEEEEEEEEW!**

**Sonic: (Rolls eyes) Sometimes, I feel like I'm the only sane one here… (Sighs) Well, looks like I have to do this… (Walks to Chrissy's computer and posts new chapter) R&R please!**

Part 4: The Midnight Conversation

"JEREMY!" Chrissy screamed the name and sat straight up. Realizing what had happened, she cursed and growled under her breath. _That damn dream…_She thought to herself, _Won't it give me any peace? _

Chrissy sighed and stood up. Walking over to the stream she had camped by for the night, she knelt next to the water and splashed some in her face, in an attempt to rid herself of the images that had plagued her every night since her brother's death.

Realizing she probably wasn't going to get any more sleep tonight, Chrissy sat next to the stream, the thought of _Now what? _tickling at the back of her mind. Realizing she didn't know much of her new surroundings, she decided to explore on the other side of the stream.

Leaping gracefully over the brook, Chrissy walked slowly through the woods, her keen night vision making her surroundings as clear as if it were mid-afternoon. She continued through the forest and was about to turn back for fear she might get lost, when she walked into a clearing. Chrissy looked at a familiar structure, the shrine that she had found earlier. She approached slowly, feeling unworthy, like she wasn't welcome there.

As she reached the top of the steps, she stared, awestruck by the large green gem. Mesmerized, she walked closer, extending a hand. "It's… so beautiful… Is this the Master emerald?" she thought aloud.

"Yes, it is." A voice replied. Chrissy almost jumped out of her skin at the unexpected answer. She turned to look at who gave the response, and saw Knuckles step out of the shadows.

Chrissy sighed out of relief. "Oh. It's you…" she said, smiling. She turned back to the green gem. "It's a wonder it's still here…" she mused. "Wouldn't somebody try to steal it?"

Knuckles sighed. "They do." He said, walking closer to where Chrissy stood. "That's why I'm here. If it falls into the wrong hands…" he let the dismal thought go unfinished. "I'm supposed to protect it and keep this from happening. At any cost." He added simply.

Chrissy shuddered. She couldn't imagine how bad it would be for Zerka or someone else equally evil to get their hands on the gem. Then she thought of Knuckles, outside guarding the emerald 24-7. _He's so dedicated to this…_she thought. "Don't you ever get lonely?" she asked innocently.

Knuckles hesitated for a moment, and was about to answer when Chrissy perked her ears up and held up a hand to stop him from speaking. "I hear something." She spoke quickly, and her voice was tense. "It sounds like… wings. Not far off, but coming this way. Bat wings." She narrowed her eyes, seemingly concentrating on the sound.

Knuckles was caught off guard and looked confused. "I don't hear anything." He said, puzzled. After a few minutes, however, he heard the sound that Chrissy had described, accompanied by a call of "Yoo-hoo!"

Knuckles couldn't help but to smile as a white bat landed next to them on the shrine. Chrissy was slightly tense for a moment, but a quick glance at Knuckles told her that the bat was no threat. She relaxed slightly, but kept her guard up, just in case.

The bat put her gloved hands on her hips. "You're leaving tomorrow and I had to hear it from Sonic and Tails?" she asked in a how-could-you tone of voice, as if she had just been betrayed.

Knuckles kept smiling. "Sorry, Rouge, babe, I was gonna tell you, but I wanted to wait until morning." He said gently, walking closer to her, and putting a hand on her shoulder.

Rouge stared at him for another moment before sighing and lowering her hands to beside her body. She smiled as she said, "Why is it so impossible to stay mad at you?"

Knuckles grinned wider and wrapped his arms around Rouge's waist. "Because you love me." He said, kissing her on the cheek.

Chrissy could only stare and clench her fists as the pair giggled. She didn't know why, but it was all she could do not to fly into a rage and storm off. She was clenching her fists so tight that her nails dug into her palms and they began to bleed. She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself and cleared her throat to get Knuckles and Rouge's attention.

Rouge looked over at the black dog in confusion. "Knuckles, who is that?" she asked, her eyes and voice full of tension.

Knuckles swallowed hard, and replied, "This is Chrissy. She's the reason why we're leaving tomorrow." He explained the whole story as he knew it to Rouge, starting with Zerka's attempt to steal the Master Emerald.

Rouge's expression softened as she heard the story. She and Chrissy locked eyes and looked at each other for a long, seemingly endless moment before Rouge nodded. "You gotta do, what you gotta do, I guess." She said thoughtfully as she turned back to Knuckles. "I think I'll go turn in for the night, sweetie." She said, pecking him on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow." She added, smiling and flying into the air. She turned back to Knuckles and Chrissy and waved them a final goodnight before flying over the treetops and out of sight.

Knuckles sighed as he turned back to Chrissy. Before he had a chance to say anything though, Chrissy spoke.

"You're very lucky." The dog said, smiling. "She's beautiful."

Knuckles looked at the ground, smiling to himself. "I think so." He agreed.

Chrissy looked up at the sky. "She reminds me of my sister." She said wistfully.

Knuckles looked up. "Your sister?" he asked. He hadn't heard anything about Chrissy family, and his curiosity peaked.

Chrissy nodded. "Yes. There were four of us."

"Were?"

Chrissy only stared at the sky as she replied. "There was me, my older sister, Venus, my younger brother Fearith, and my older brother, Jeremy." She explained. "About seven years ago, Jeremy was killed by Zerka." Chrissy bit her lower lip. She felt bad about not telling him the whole story, but she knew it was not the right time just yet.

Knuckles looked down, and couldn't help but smile as Chrissy earlier explanation returned to him…

_Sonic raised an eyebrow. "So, what are you? Some sort of bounty hunter?" _

"_I'm a… a … I just don't want to see any more innocent people get hurt." Chrissy said quickly. Lowering her eyes._

"I'm sorry." Knuckles said. It was all he could say. He couldn't imagine what she was going through.

Chrissy shrugged. "Forget it. I'm just doing what I have to do." She said with almost no emotion. She turned back to the stairs of the shrine. "I think I'll go and try to get some sleep." She said, walking down the stairs.

Knuckles looked at her. "Alright then." He said, simply.

Chrissy looked down at her wrist. Wrapped around it was a necklace with a white tiger, the mate to her black lion necklace. She unwrapped the chain from her wrist and turned to Knuckles. "I never got to thank you properly for saving my life." She said. "I'd like you to have this." She tossed him the necklace.

Knuckles caught the chain and looked at Chrissy's gift. "What is this?" he asked, genuinely curious.

Chrissy smiled. "Just a small token of my thanks… And a token of our friendship." She said simply.

Knuckles nodded, and Chrissy turned and dashed down the stairs, stopping just short of the forest. She turned around and called "Goodnight!" before darting into the forest.

Reaching her small campsite just over the stream, Chrissy lay down on her sleeping bag. _Did I make the right choice?_ She pondered to herself. _Can I trust him with Jeremy's necklace?_ She decided to put it out of her mind for now, because time would tell. She snuggled deeper into her bed and fell into a deep sleep wondering what the rising sun would bring…

To Be Continued

**Knuckles: (Glares at Chrissy) Why am I paired with Rouge?**

**Chrissy: (Has another bandage on finger) because I thought it was the best way to introduce her into the story. (Sticks out tongue)**

**Amy: Hey! We've got a review!**

**Chrissy: (Squees) REALLY?! (Runs over and almost knocks Amy out of comp chair)**

**Amy: (Cringes) Chill, Chrissy, sheesh… Anyway, yes, we have a review from No. 42.**

**Chrissy: (frowns) Yeah, I know, I'm thinking of just combining the first and second chapters, or extending Chap. 1 and making it a prologue…**

**Knux: And as for the lack of detail, that's always been one of her biggest trouble spots.**

**Chrissy: (sighs) Knux is right, but I'm working on it, so give me a chance, K? May the force be with you as well. (Grins)**

**Knuckles: So, when's the next chapter due, Chrissy?**

**Chrissy: Well, this one came a little later than expected because of computer trouble, but the next one should be up in about a week.**

**Sonic: Cool! Hopefully there'll be more of me in the next one. (Grins)**

**Tails: I wouldn't count on it…**

**Knuckles: (sniggers)**

**Chrissy: (rolls eyes) You **_**might **_**get more lines if you're good.**

**Sonic: (Begs) I'll be good! Really I will! **_**Pleeeeeeeease?**_

**Chrissy: We'll see. (Pats) Until then, R&R people!**


	5. Chapter 5 : The Search for Zerka

Part 5: The Search for Zerka

**Chrissy: (groans) Well, what do you know, I finally got around to this!**

**Knuckles: You shouldn't blame yourself, Chrissy. You've been busy. What with the Fanfics…**

**Sonic: … The Novel your writing…**

**Shadow: …The D&D campaign…**

**Amy: …The lack of sleep-**

**Chrissy: ALRIGHT! I get it, I'm busy… (grumbles)**

**Knuckles: …Not to mention school's going to be starting soon…**

**Chrissy: (growls) Don't remind me… PLEASE…**

**Shadow: Yes, you don't want to get her royal highness PO'd about that…**

**Chrissy: You should be worrying about that, Shadow.**

**Shadow: (scoffs) And why is that?**

**Chrissy: Because Shayla gave me a good idea for torturing you…**

**Shadow: (stares) (runs to hid under bed)**

**Chrissy: (evil grin) Anyway, I suppose I should post this damned thing before I have to make you wait anymore.**

**Knuckles: R&R!**

Part 5: The Search for Zerka

"The signal from my homing beacon says he's at these coordinates." Chrissy said, pointing to the location onscreen. "But it'll take us at least three days to get there, even if we take the most direct route."

They had taken off just hours before, and were discussing their plan of action.

Tails mused over the new information. "It's our best bet." He said finally. "We'll just have to go with it." The kitsune nodded.

Chrissy sighed, and finally nodded. "I don't know what kind of armies he has at his disposal." She added. "We should proceed with caution." She let this last, grim note hang in the air, before turning and walking away in the direction of her quarters.

A lot was running through Chrissy's mind at the moment. Not only did she have in her heart the anger and determination to capture Zerka and bring to him the justice he deserved, but thoughts about her new friends as well. She hadn't gotten to know much about them (albeit she had only known them a short time), but that was what she had wanted. At least, it had been at the beginning. Now she wasn't so sure it was.

Her new friends were so interesting, and every one of them was kind; merciful. They were good people. Chrissy felt her need to distance herself from them ebbing. She smiled to herself. _Perhaps getting to know them won't be such a bad idea… _She mused.

Chrissy was so deep in her thoughts that she walked right into someone and fell backwards onto her butt. Cursing under her breath, she looked up into the eyes of Rouge.

"I-I'm sorry… I need to watch where I'm going…" Chrissy stammered. As much as she respected the bat, she wanted to speak with her as little as possible. Something about her made Chrissy uneasy, though for the life of her she didn't know why.

Rouge blinked for a moment before smiling and helping Chrissy to her feet. "Think nothing of it." She said simply. The pair stood there, caught in an awkward silence.

"So… what's your story?" Chrissy blurted.

"My story?"

"You know… why you're with the gang. How you met them all." Chrissy shuffled her feet nervously. If she was going to get to know them, this was a good place to start, no matter how oogy it made her feel.

Rouge glanced at her suspiciously, but then smiled. "To be honest, it started when I was trying to swipe the Master Emerald from Knuckles."

Chrissy raised an eyebrow. There was a long and complicated story under that simple sentence, and she didn't really care to know that story. Nodding at Rouge, she continued down the hall to her room and walked inside.

It was a simple dwelling, all it had was a bed and a dresser by the bed, but it was more than enough for Chrissy. She had made herself comfortable, placing a picture of her family on the dresser next to her diary. She walked into the room and flopped down on the bed.

Chrissy wasn't physically tired, not in the least, but her heart and head were weary from constant stress and having to plan this whole escapade. She decided to do what always made her feel better when stress consumed her: Sing.

Chrissy was a fairly good singer, but she never really admitted it; she was much too modest. Instantly, a lullaby that her mother always used to sing came to her mind and the lyrics came spilling forth before she could stop them.

_Hush yourself  
__Little one  
__Night has come  
__Day is done_

_Close your eyes  
__Drift to sleep  
__No more tears  
__Shall you weep_

_Dreams will come  
__Dreams will pass  
__Days will come  
__Days will last_

_Worry not  
__What lay ahead  
__Just dream your dreams  
__Instead_

Chrissy looked up after finishing the final lines of the song. The necklace grew hot on her chest, meaning the other necklace was nearby. She stood up and walked to the door. It opened, and Knuckles stood on the other side.

Chrissy blinked. "Can I help you?" she asked apprehensively.

Knuckles blinked, and simply stared a Chrissy for a long moment, before finally jarring himself into action. "I was… I mean… I came to… Tails says he wants to see you." The red echidna stammered out the words, bewildered.

Chrissy smiled, and walked out of the room. In a matter of moments, she was back in the control room. One looked at the screen told her why she had been summoned, but Tails spoke anyway.

"I checked the homing beacon that you left me and I saw what's on screen." he said, a touch of nervousness and uncertainty in his voice. Chrissy knew all too well what it meant.

Zerka was moving. He had altered his course.

He was headed straight toward them.

**Knuckles: (groans) I HATE cliff-hangers…**

**Chrissy: Hey, it keeps the readers reading. (shrugs)**

**Tails: No new reviews…**

**Chrissy: NONE? (sobs)**

**Sonic: Maybe if you torture Shadow, people will review… (snickers)**

**Shadow: No, they just don't like you.**

**Chrissy: (growls) Keep it up and I will torture you.**

**Shadow: (yelps)**

**Knuckles: Well, in any case, maybe Shayla will review soon.**

**Chrissy: I hope so! (grins)**

**Tails: And as for the rest of you… R&R!**


End file.
